VF.COM

Spreading the Word

For most students, August is the beginning of the end, a harbinger of imminent doom, a red flag that signals the eventual demise of the lovely, lazy days of summer. But for a small group from the Pingry School, a private K–12 institution in New Jersey, this August will be a time of hope. On August 2, a dozen dedicated students—along with some parents and school staff—will travel to South Africa to distribute some 56,000 books they collected in less than four months.

The New Jersey–based Global Literacy Project (G.L.P.) is a nonprofit that builds libraries and distributes books in underserved and impoverished areas in Africa, South Asia, and the Caribbean. The G.L.P. first appeared on the Pingry radar during the 2006 holiday season, when 16-year-old sophomore Emma Carver and her mother, Anne DeLaney, were doing community service at a "mitzvah mall," where visitors could make tax-deductible donations to charitable organizations in lieu of offering traditional gifts. Inspired by the G.L.P.'s mission, Anne and Emma approached the organization about the possibility of doing a small book drive, perhaps a few thousand books collected from friends and family.

But the Pingry community exceeded expectations. By approaching neighbors, churches, and even other schools, students were able to let other communities know of the project, which added greatly to their pile of textbooks and literature. As awareness of their efforts grew, thanks to enthusiastic word of mouth, so did the donations. "The initial goal was 20,000 books, and right now we are at 56,000 books," says Anne, clearly proud. Those books were shipped to Africa at the end of May; just before the books crossed the Atlantic, Emma and other involved students saw their entire haul gathered in one place. "Just seeing them packed up and ready to go was exciting," Emma says.

The books will be distributed throughout schools and communities (as well as an orphanage) in rural areas outside of Johannesburg, as well as to the Kagiso and Soweto districts in the city. Kenya native and G.L.P. co-founder Dr. Olubayi Olubayi explains that the materials "are going to people who need books desperately." At one school he visited in South Africa last year, "they had a very small library, maybe about 400 books for about a thousand students," he says. "The books were of such high value because there were so few. Kids could not use them in the absence of a teacher. We tried to persuade them to let the kids take books home, and the headmaster explained to us that they would love to do that—but if the kids lost the books they could not afford to replace them."

The problems caused by the lack of books are compounded by the schedules of community libraries, which are open only during business hours and close their doors before children can go after school or on the weekend. The cards are thus stacked against the development of strong reading habits, making the G.L.P.'s and Pingry's involvement all the more urgent. The Pingry group also plans to bring donated flooring, paint, and other materials to help build a new public library with more convenient hours.

As for her involvement with the G.L.P.'s efforts in Africa, Emma says it's less about the needs of that continent in particular and more about the overall mission. "I don't think Africa was the thing that struck me most about what they were doing," she explains, noting that the G.L.P. has worked in several other areas. "It's more about the importance of learning."